Twelve thousand were coming to the UK for employment, eleven thousand were studying, and nine thousand were coming for other reasons. Nigerian immigrants made up 141,000 of the total number of immigrants to the UK, second only to Indian immigrants, with 90,000 being Chinese and 83,000 being Pakistanis.
Despite this influx, net migration to the UK decreased by 10% from a record high of 764,000 in 2022 to 685,000 last year. Foreigners arriving to work or study are included in these immigration figures.
The makeup of immigration to the UK has changed significantly. In 2023, non-EU immigration accounted for 85% of the total, a sharp contrast to the pre-2021 period when EU nationals were the majority of long-term immigrants. Non-EU nationals are now mostly moving to the UK for work, not education.
423,000 non-EU workers entered the UK in 2023, up 53% from 277,000 the previous year.
Those on long-term work visas are now traveling with more dependents than principal applicants. In 2023, 279,131 work visas were granted to the dependents of individuals who had them, an 80% increase from 2022. Among these, 203,452 visas were granted to those who were reliant on medical professionals.
